Syria interim president pledges ‘national dialogue conference’

DAMASCUS: Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, promised Thursday to hold a “national dialogue conference” during his first speech to the nation since the fall of ousted leader Bashar Assad.
“We will announce in the coming days a committee charged with preparing the national dialogue conference, a direct platform for discussions, to listen to different points of view on our future political program,” Sharaa said during the prerecorded televised address. He also promised a “constitutional declaration” to serve as a “legal reference” during the country’s transition period after the old constitution was suspended.